Let me illustrate this matter further. Before a person is saved, he is always happy whenever he receives something, regardless of whether he has received it as a gift, he has earned it, or he has obtained it by some unrighteous means. Have you ever experienced, however, that the joy of giving is much greater than the joy of receiving? Of course, we are joyful when someone gives us a sum of money or any material thing that delights us. This, however, is not our greatest joy. We experience the greatest joy when we give to others. I have had many such experiences. I have some amount of joy when someone has given me a gift. However, that joy is outward and not inward. On the other hand, when I offer help to the needy brothers and sisters by sending them gifts, that joy is beyond description. Many brothers and sisters have no joy because they are unwilling to give.
The life received by Christians has a special nature and character-cheerful giving. The Lord Jesus told a young man to sell all his possessions and follow Him (Matt. 19:21). John the Baptist also said, “He who has two tunics, let him share with the one who has none” (Luke 3:11). When the life of Christ came into us, the nature of cheerful giving also came into us. We can see how great our joy will be if we are willing to give some of our possessions to the poor. Honestly speaking, as Christians, we should voluntarily set aside some of our possessions and share them with the poor and the needy. If we practice this, we will definitely have the inner joy.
Suppose some brothers and sisters are in financial difficulties. When other brothers and sisters find out about this matter, they remember these needy ones before the Lord and provide some financial assistance to them in secret. You can just imagine what a joy it will be to the needy ones when they receive the supply. Then one day when these ones who received the supply find out that other brothers and sisters are having financial difficulties, they too will contribute a portion of their resources according to the Lord’s leading. Their joy then will be far sweeter than their former joy. May we all have a taste of such sweetness.
Furthermore, a Christian also has a nature that delights in yielding instead of resisting. In Matthew 5 the Lord Jesus tells us, “Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And to him who wishes to sue you and take your tunic, yield to him your cloak also; and whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (vv. 39-41). This is not merely a teaching; it is the nature of a Christian’s life. For example, you may be engaged in a business with another brother, and when it comes time to settle accounts, you may get into an argument concerning some of the profits and dividends. Consider this: Are you happier when you are fighting for your share or when you willingly receive less? Suppose you and I are engaged in business. At the year-end settlement of accounts, you want to take fifty percent of the profits, and I want sixty percent because I believe that I put in more effort. Who has the joy in such a situation-you or I? In the end, neither of us has any joy. If, having enjoyed grace, you say to me, “Brother, you may have one hundred percent,” then you will be joyful. And if I also say to you, “Brother, you may take all the profits,” then I will also be filled with joy.
Once two brothers came to me because they had a dispute about some business dealings. Brother A said that Brother B was asking for too much money, while Brother B said it was Brother A who broke his promise because that was the sum agreed upon originally. They asked me to represent the church to settle the matter fairly. Therefore, I had some fellowship with the leading brothers and they all said, “This is totally unreasonable! How could a brother ask for more than his share from another brother? And how could a brother refuse to give what is due another brother?” They all agreed that the matter should be settled equitably but did not know how to proceed, so they consulted me. I said, “We should tell Brother A to give everything to Brother B, and we should also ask Brother B to give everything to Brother A.” According to the teaching and the principle shown in the Bible, resisting one another does not issue in peace and joy.
Thus, when Brother A came to me, I said, “You have asked me to settle this matter fairly, and I feel that the best way of settlement is to go beyond fairness.” He asked, “What do you mean by going beyond fairness?” I told him that it simply meant that he had to give everything to Brother B. Then he asked, “How could this be?” I said, “According to what you said, it is fair to give him thirty percent. If I instruct you according to your word, apparently I am helping you, but in reality I am doing you harm because you will lose your joy. On the other hand, if you give him all, you will have joy and your joy will be full.” Upon hearing this, Brother A began to shed tears, though not tears of sorrow. Then he knelt down to pray and left rejoicing. When Brother B came, I also said to him, “We have to go beyond fairness. The Bible rightly says that when brothers contend with one another, what they gain is dung, and they will not have joy. As Christians, we should yield to others willingly. Whoever slaps us on our right cheek, we turn to him the other also. To be a Christian is to be able to turn the other cheek to be slapped. If you give him all, then you will overflow with joy.” Upon hearing this, Brother B also knelt down to pray because he truly had the life of Christ.
Consider this: Who has joy-the one who strikes or the one who is struck? Christians are very peculiar. They rejoice in being struck but do not rejoice in striking others. This is why I told those two brothers that if we insist on being treated fairly, surely we will lose our joy. The life of Christians is a life of peace and joy. Whenever we contend with others, we have neither peace nor joy. If we are not like this, there may be two problems: either we are not saved or the life within us is not adequately manifested. The Bible tells us that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). We have the inner joy when we delight in giving, more than in receiving.
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